STS Impact Windows, Doors & Roofing is a veteran-owned company based in South Florida that specializes in premium hurricane protection solutions, including impact windows, doors, custom storefronts, and roofing. Combining over 25 years of industry experience with military precision, STS provides expert installation, full transparency, and outstanding customer service, backed by a leading 3-year installation warranty. Their comprehensive services ensure security and peace of mind for both residential and commercial clients, with a strong focus on quality, reliability, and efficiency.
View on Google MapsSTS Impact Windows and Doors specializes in hurricane protection solutions, offering high-quality impact windows, storm-resistant doors, custom storefronts, and professional roofing services. With expert installation, full transparency, and outstanding customer service, the company ensures homes and businesses stay secure and energy-efficient.
STS Impact Windows and Doors is located at 1000 Holland Dr Suite 10, Boca Raton, FL 33487, United States. The company proudly serves residential and commercial clients across Florida and throughout the United States, delivering reliable storm protection solutions. View their location on Google Maps.
Yes, STS Impact Windows and Doors is a veteran-owned company recognized for its dedication, integrity, and service to the community. This background adds an extra level of trust and reliability for homeowners and businesses seeking storm protection solutions.
STS Impact Windows and Doors provides a wide range of services including the installation of hurricane impact windows, impact doors, custom commercial storefronts, and roofing services. Each project is backed by expert craftsmanship, a 3-year installation warranty, and over 25 years of industry experience.
The company proudly serves both residential homeowners and commercial property owners. From protecting family homes to fortifying businesses with hurricane-rated storefronts, STS Impact Windows and Doors delivers customized solutions that ensure safety, durability, and efficiency.
Clients benefit from the company’s focus on quality, reliability, and efficiency. Their impact-resistant windows and doors not only enhance security and hurricane protection but also improve energy efficiency, reduce noise, and increase property value. With a 3-year installation warranty, customers can trust in long-term performance and peace of mind.
STS Impact Windows and Doors has been recognized with multiple industry honors, including the South Florida Veteran Owned Business Excellence Award, Best Hurricane Protection Provider 2023 Florida, and the Angi’s Super Service Award for Window Installation. These awards highlight their commitment to excellence, customer satisfaction, and industry leadership.
You can reach STS Impact Windows and Doors by phone at 561-600-1018 or visit their website at stswindows.com. They are open Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm and are available on Facebook and Instagram for updates and project showcases.
Business Name: STS Impact Windows & Doors
Address: 1000 Holland Dr #10, Boca Raton, FL 33487, United States
Phone: (561)-600-1018
Hurricane season shapes life along Florida's coasts. You feel it in the method next-door neighbors track tropical waves, the pre-storm rush to stockpile, and the routine of carrying ladders to install panels. After two decades specifying, installing, and repairing structure envelopes from Secret Largo to Palm Beach, I've seen what holds up and what doesn't. When the goal is genuine security with year-round comfort, Miami-Dade authorized, energy‑efficient effect windows outshine shutters in ways that surpass storm day. They change how a house feels in August, how quiet your living room remains on a Saturday night, and how confident you are when a storm line spins up quicker than predicted.
This is a useful take a look at why many South Florida homeowners are moving from shutters to typhoon impact-resistant windows, how to window installation costs Boca Raton check out the standards behind "Miami-Dade approved," what materials matter, and how to get the installation right the first time.
Miami-Dade County's Item Control Department sets one of the most difficult benchmarks in the country for constructing elements exposed to windborne debris. Approval is not a marketing sticker. It is earned through specific lab tests that imitate genuine typhoon conditions.
First comes large missile impact. A 9-pound 2x4 is shot at the glass at roughly 34 miles per hour. That simulates roof tiles, branches, or pieces of fencing that fly in the eyewall. After the effect, the same unit faces cyclic pressure loading, countless pressurization and depressurization cycles that mimic quick wind gusts over hours. If the glass remains in the frame without letting the envelope breach, it passes. The difference between "meets Boca Raton window installation services Florida building regulations windows" and "Miami-Dade authorized windows" typically resides in these test limits. Miami-Dade is merely stiffer, particularly in High Velocity Hurricane Zone requirements, that include Miami-Dade and Broward.
Wind scores differ by opening size and style pressures, represented as PSF worths. On ocean-facing homes or high-rises, I frequently define systems rated at +60/ -80 PSF or greater. Inland or in more secured direct exposures, ratings in the +45/ -60 PSF range can be adequate, however you size and spec based on the site's wind map, developing height, and surrounding structures. An expert understands that a corner direct exposure at the second story demands different support than a protected window under a deep porch.
Hurricane shutters vs impact windows is not a one-to-one contrast. Shutters can meet code, and they're better than nothing. However they ask you to do work at the worst possible time. When a watch turns to a caution and the forecast track tightens, the last thing you desire is a ladder, a dead cordless drill, and a missing wing nut.
Impact windows live in place. You get continuous defense, even if a pop-up storm surprises you while you're stuck on United States 1. You also get benefits every day of the year.
 
Noise control is the most underappreciated benefit. Laminated effect glass is basically a sandwich: two panes of glass bonded by a resistant interlayer, usually PVB interlayer glass or SentryGlas. That interlayer damps noise. On tasks along hectic passages like Biscayne Boulevard or near flight courses, I've measured interior sound drops in the 5 to 10 decibel range, sometimes more when paired with insulated glass units.
Security improves because laminated glass withstands forced entry. An intruder can shatter the outer lite with a hammer, but the interlayer holds the fragments. They fulfill a sticky, persistent membrane rather of a quick path inside. Insurance coverage underwriters understand this, which is why policies frequently provide credits for effect windows and doors. In my jobs, premiums typically drop 10 to 25 percent, depending on the provider and the number of openings are protected.
Energy performance is the 3rd pillar. Energy-efficient impact windows with modern-day low-E effect glass and warm-edge spacers can cut solar heat gain while protecting noticeable light. That indicates less air conditioning need, specifically on west and south direct exposures where the afternoon sun punishes interiors. In one Coral Gables retrofit, we replaced 1980s single-pane sliders with laminated low-E impact units. Summer season afternoon peak load stopped by approximately a ton of cooling, and the home's annual electricity use fell in between 12 and 18 percent. Outcomes vary with shading, attic insulation, and a/c effectiveness, however the instructions is consistent.
Laminated impact glass is the heart of the system, but not all laminated items are equal.
Most property cyclone windows use a PVB interlayer glass stack, frequently 0.030 to 0.090 inches thick in single or several plies. Thicker interlayers enhance effect resistance and sound control, but they include weight and expense. For oceanfront or high openings, you may see SGP (ionoplast) interlayers, which are stiffer and more powerful than PVB, permitting thinner sections to achieve higher style pressures. For noise-sensitive sites, acoustic PVB formulations fine-tune the polymer to much better take in noise in the 1,000 to 3,000 Hz variety, where traffic and voices sit.
Tempered glass windows turn up typically in conversations due to the fact that tempered glass is more powerful in flexing than annealed glass. That's true, and tempered lites are typically used as the external or inner ply in an impact system. However tempered alone is not impact-resistant in the typhoon sense. When it fails, it explodes into little cubes and falls out of the frame, which leaves the opening susceptible. The impact efficiency originates from laminated building, not tempering by itself. Numerous systems use a tempered outer lite laminated to an annealed inner lite, or both tempered, however always bonded through a PVB or ionoplast interlayer.
Low-E coverings matter for comfort. A soft-coat low-E tuned for South Florida normally targets a solar heat gain coefficient in the 0.25 to 0.35 range while keeping visible light transmission around half or greater. Go too low on SHGC and the glass can look gray or green, specifically in larger openings. The sweet area depends on your façade orientation and shading. On east and west elevations, I frequently tighten SHGC and accept a slight tint to handle early morning and afternoon blasts. On north elevations, I favor greater noticeable transmittance for daylighting.
Frames are the other half of the story. Aluminum frames dominate here because they handle big openings and will not swell. Thermal breaks and enhanced glazing gaskets have narrowed the energy space with vinyl. Premium vinyl effect frames, when reinforced effectively, can perform well for standard-sized openings and have better insulating worths, however I avoid them for extremely broad sliders or high storefront-style windows in high-wind zones. Wood-clad systems look beautiful in older Mediterranean Revival homes, but they require cautious maintenance and smart flashing. The Florida sun destroys low-cost vinyl and chalks low-grade aluminum finishes rapidly. Search for powder-coated surfaces rated for seaside exposure, and demand written guarantee information in salt-air environments.
Window installation can make or break efficiency. An expensive unit installed like a handyman swap-out will not pass a storm's stress test. The load course is the crux. Effect forces have to take a trip from the glass through the frame, to the anchors, into the substrate, and after that into the structure's framing or masonry.
In cinder block building and construction, you want stainless or hot-dipped galvanized anchors embedded into solid material. Hollow cells need to be grouted or you need to strike the bond beam. Tapcons in soft, unfilled block are a failure waiting to happen. In wood-framed houses, structural screws need to bite into strong trimmers, not just sheathing. Shimming and plumb alignment matter so the locks engage easily and the weatherstripping compresses evenly.
The sealant joint is not just visual. A properly sized backer rod and premium polyurethane or silyl-modified polymer sealant create a long lasting, flexible seal that handles thermal expansion. Too little a bead and it tears under motion. Too huge and it cures badly. On seaside jobs, I never match different metals without a barrier, and I always define corrosion-resistant fasteners. Ten years later on, you will see who took shortcuts.
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Flashing is the other non-negotiable. Pan flashing at sills, self-adhered membranes at jambs and heads, and combination with the water-resistive barrier are essential. If you rely on sealant alone, water will find its method. That wetness might disappoint up as a drip. It might rot a sill plate gradually, then betray itself as a buckling flooring or a musty odor 2 typhoon seasons later.
I have nothing against well-designed shutters. Accordion shutters that are maintained and lubricated, roll-down shutters with battery backups, and even removable panels saved carefully can secure homes efficiently. They also help in specific cases.
Second homes or seasonal leasings where budget is tight often lean on shutters to satisfy the Florida building code windows requirement for safeguarded openings. On specialized openings like a lanai that is rarely used in summertime, a tidy motorized roll-down can be sensible, specifically if coupling with effect windows and doors elsewhere worries the budget plan. For property owners who prepare to move within a year, shutters can be a brief bridge to compliance before a sale.
But shutters bring compromises. They darken your home when deployed, and they need action at specifically the time you are handling insurance coverage papers, gas cans, and family logistics. Throughout Hurricane Irma, I enjoyed a next-door neighbor attempt to install steel panels hours before landfall. The ladder sank in saturated soil, a panel slipped, and we invested the next hour in the urgent care waiting room. He made it through with stitches. His living-room window did not. Shutters also rattle and can vibrate under continual winds, often loosening fasteners gradually if not maintained.
For long-term owners who want to set it and forget it, effect windows offer typhoon proof windows protection while preserving daylight and view. The benefit grows important once you have actually experienced one storm season with no preparation beyond locking the sash.
South Florida homes combat two fights: hidden load from humidity and practical load from direct solar heat gain. Impact glass upgrades can help both if specified intelligently.
Low-E impact glass utilizes microscopically thin metallic layers to show infrared energy while letting visible light through. With the right coating stacks, you can block a large part of convected heat and UV. UV obstruction in laminated systems comes largely from the interlayer itself, which normally filters 95 to 99 percent of UV, minimizing fading of fabrics and flooring. Add the low-E, and you curb the solar heat that drives your a/c insane midafternoon.
I assess glass specifications with 3 numbers: U-factor, SHGC, and VT. While U-factor matters more up north, it still helps here by decreasing nighttime heat flow and keeping the interior glass temperature closer to space temperature, which lowers condensation threat. SHGC drives how much solar heat gets in. VT influences how bright the interior feels. Balance is essential. Some property owners want the crisp, clear appearance of higher VT, even if it implies accepting a couple of degrees more heat in late afternoon, due to the fact that their landscaping and roofing system overhangs already do some shading. Others choose a more powerful tint for glare control on waterside lots that reflect severe light.
In useful terms, going from clear single-pane sliders to modern-day low-E laminated double-glazed systems can reduce peak solar gains by 30 to 50 percent on the most exposed sides. Couple that with tuned overhangs, light-colored exterior surfaces, and a correctly sized variable-speed HVAC, and you start to develop durability. If the grid goes down and you switch to a generator, a lower cooling load means a smaller generator and less gallons of fuel.
Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance, or NOA, is the file you request. It details the authorized configurations, sizes, anchors, and pressures tested. It is inadequate to hear "these are Miami-Dade approved windows" in a display room. Verify the NOA matches the specific model and options you are buying, consisting of the glazing makeup and hardware. If you are in Broward or Miami-Dade, your allowing office will desire this paper trail.
Statewide, the Florida Item Approval system provides FL numbers that show code compliance. In the rest of the state outside the High Velocity Cyclone Zone, Florida building regulations windows can rely on Florida Item Approval without Miami-Dade specific NOAs. Lots of top producers carry both. Where spending plans enable, I choose NOA products even outside the zone due to the fact that the screening is stiffer.
NFRC labels deal with energy metrics. They won't tell you impact efficiency, however they show U-factor, SHGC, VT, and air leakage. Go for air leakage at or below 0.3 cfm/ft ². Tighter is much better for humidity control, but make certain your home still has actually stabilized ventilation. Sealing the envelope and ignoring fresh air is a dish for indoor air quality complaints.
Impact windows cost more upfront than shutters. There's no spin around that. Installed expenses vary with size, shape, surface, and access. On simple single-family homes, per-opening costs frequently land in between 1,200 and 3,000 dollars for basic sizes. Large multi-panel sliders, customized arches, and coastal-grade finishes raise the numbers quickly.
Where you recover worth:
If you prepare to own the residential or commercial property for 5 years or more, the mathematics frequently tilts in favor of effect windows, particularly when you factor the intangible of peace of mind. If you prepare to sell within a year and require to reveal compliance rapidly, shutters might make more short-term sense. Context matters.
I take note of hardware and accessories. Multi-point locks on casements and awnings improve seal compression and security. For sliders, robust tandem rollers in stainless housings slide smoother and last longer on sandy outdoor patios. Look at the sill design on moving doors. Weep systems must be crafted to drain heavy rainfall without letting wind-driven water blow back in. Ask to see a cutaway Boca Raton hurricane impact windows sample in the showroom.
Tint colors and reflectivity are more than style. Reflective movies can run afoul of neighborhood watch or produce mirror-like glare towards neighboring residential or commercial properties. In seaside communities, highly reflective glass can confuse birds or sea turtles in some jurisdictions. Regional pros know which coverings balance efficiency with compliance.
Color stability is a huge offer. Dark bronze or black frames look great on modern-day homes, however in Florida sun inexpensive finishes chalk and fade. AAMA 2605-rated finishings offer the best color retention and chalk resistance. I define them for seaside exposures whenever spending plans allow.
Historic districts typically need profiles that simulate old wood sash sightlines. There are impact-rated windows that fit these requirements, but lead times extend and costs climb. Anticipate additional evaluation by architectural boards, and line up a contractor acquainted with these submissions.
Condos have another layer of governance. Associations sometimes define a narrow list of approved products for uniformity. They also appreciate sound control in between units. If your structure sits directly on Collins Avenue or faces a hectic impact windows in Boca Raton beach boardwalk, push for acoustic laminated choices. Work with building management on staging and lift access. Weekend work windows and minimal parking can add days and dollars.
Large openings, like a 16-foot-wide slider, require unique attention in style pressure, deflection, and running hardware. Not every system that looks tough in a showroom fulfills the wind loads on a ninth-floor veranda. Do not depend on catalog optimum sizes. Use the NOA tables that correspond to your site's zone, favorable and negative pressures, and mullion mixes if any.
The best tasks start with a measured survey and exposure analysis. You map each opening, keep in mind the substrate, and recognize any framing irregularities or settlement cracks. Throughout proposition, the contractor reveals you the NOA and the Florida Item Approval, lists anchor types, and explains how each opening will be flashed and sealed. They plan for stucco or drywall repair work, not pretend no damage will occur.
On set up day, they eliminate one opening at a time to keep your house secure. They protect floors, pull back window treatments, and cap sprinklers. Old frames come out with care to maintain interior surfaces. New units get dry-fit, shimmed, and anchored per the schedule. The team checks squareness and diagonals before setting sealant. They photograph anchors for the authorization file, particularly if they will be concealed. After glazing, they water-test with a controlled spray to confirm drain paths and seals. The inspector sees a cool jobsite, clear labels, and paperwork in order.
Six months later on, your windows still close with 2 fingers, locks bite efficiently, and there is no secret rattle during thunderstorms. You did not need to call for a roller change after the first week. That is the standard.
Impact score does not equal breakproof. Laminated glass can break under severe effects, but it ought to remain in the frame and hold together. After a storm that sends out particles into the glass, you might see star fractures or spidering. The window did its task. Change the sash or IGU after the event.
Window films do not transform non-impact windows into typhoon impact-resistant windows. They can include shatter resistance, but they do not alternative to a tested, anchored system. Your insurance company and building department will not count films as protected openings.
Interior humidity matters. Tight, energy-efficient effect windows lower air leakage. That's terrific, however it increases the importance of an effectively sized HVAC with good dehumidification. If your system is extra-large, the thermostat pleases quickly and fails to pull enough moisture from the air. Ask your HVAC pro to inspect sensible heat ratio, airflow, and run time. You desire stable, longer cycles, not brief bursts.
Maintenance is simple however not optional. Clean weep holes on sliders, wash salt spray from frames, and lube hardware each year with a silicone-based product that will not gum up in heat. Little habits extend lifespan.
There are legitimate reasons to blend solutions. A set of seldom used garage windows can keep detachable panels to shave budget plan. A deep-set porch with minimal sun exposure may do fine with accordion shutters if you prioritize other upgrades like a brand-new roofing system deck attachment or a prepared garage door. Shutters can likewise protect outdoor kitchen areas or cabana openings where grease and smoke would age elegant hardware prematurely.
If you select shutters, purchase quality. Stainless fasteners, smooth tracks, and motors with manual overrides for roll-downs make a difference. Appoint responsibility for deployment and practice once outside of a storm watch. Inventory your hardware. The day you require 32 wing nuts is not the morning you wish to find you have 29.
Impact windows are not only about surviving the huge one. They reshape daily living. The living-room remains cooler and quieter. The a/c cycles calmly rather of racing at 4 p.m. You sleep without freight trains of wind sound when a squall line passes at 2 a.m. When a hurricane threatens, your preparation list gets much shorter. You lock the sashes, set storm mode on the alarm, and focus on individuals rather than panels.
For a lot of my customers, that intangible is the deciding factor. They understand storms will come. They also understand life in South Florida is too great to live inside a fortress that just gets up in August. Miami-Dade approved windows give you both: a clear view of Biscayne Bay on a breezy February early morning and peaceful self-confidence when the spaghetti designs point our way in September.
If you are weighing the option, start with a site-specific evaluation. Match your exposures to create pressures, select the right laminated glass stack for wind and heat, select frames that fit the architecture and conditions, and work with a team that respects the load path. Done right, energy‑efficient impact windows provide what shutters can not: protection that never ever requests for a ladder and a better home every day of the year.